Bittersweet Crosses
by pokerlulz
Summary: One girl, lost memories, forgotten romances, new troubles. Three men that fell in love with a different girl, yet the same person. OC x Hijikata/Gintoki/Takasugi. This is a translation, not my own story. Ratings may be higher for one chapter later.
1. The meeting

**1) Gintama ain't mine**

**2) This story ain't mine, it's ****贺子****'s**

**3) The translation is mine! ^_^**

**Have fun reading~**

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><p>Chapter 1- The meeting<p>

She cannot remember how many times she had tried to run away.

.

Escaping from that terrible place, only to be caught and punished with even more cruel and painful torture every time. Still, the punishments had never diminished her determination.

"As long as I have a chance, I will take the risk. Unless I am dead, I will escape from this hell. Even if I die, I will die outside!" She spat out those words spitefully, as she bit firmly onto her lips and tried her best to increase the speed of running. A sudden pain shot through her- an old wound had re-opened again, causing blood to soak through her clothes.

"Please don't drip onto the ground," she prayed fervently, "or even without the use of those dogs and their sense of smell, those men can track me down easily!"

Kabuki-cho was a lively place at night, but there were still some dark and quiet alleys. "As long as I successfully hide in one of those alleys and make it through the night, the rest would be easy." Thinking so, she confirmed and made way on her route. Alas, she was stopped by the shouting of men and the wild barking of several dogs.

"Oi, it's happening again? You stubborn woman, won't you ever give up? Don't you understand that from the moment you were sold here you no longer have any freedom? You would suffer less pain if you choose to submit and listen to us!"

"Exactly! You never succeed anyway. Only severe beatings await you every time we capture you back. Injuries on such a pretty face and body is such a waste, if you aren't sorry for your own state, we are! Isn't that right everyone? Hahahahaha..."

"Alright, you've been surrounded, listen to us and come here, and we may be so kind as to not bring you back all tied up in ropes."

.

Evil laughs and teases caused her to feel a sense of deep despair, had she failed again? What cruel method would that evil Mam use to punish her this time round? Would it be better if she just died like this, see that wall over there? If she used enough strength to knock against it, if she was a little lucky, she would die without feeling any pain.

Her conscience began to blur, die, die, die... How many times had she had that thought? Ever since she was at that planet so far away from home? Or was it after she had lost her memories? Being cheated, beaten, and shouted at for countless times, when she was sold- she really wanted to die then. Why did she still hold on? Why did she still have to carry on, like a dog panting its last breaths, under torment, and struggle to return to Earth? She thought there was hope at first, thinking that everything would be fine once she was back, if she searched, she would find her own memories, her friends and family.

Alas, she had only fallen into another living hell; unable to remember who she was, unable to remember, who on this planet she could rely on and ask for help. Alone in solitude, so what if she had returned! One month on the other planet was one year on Earth; she could only remember being there for 6 months. Maybe the friends and family here had been long since gone!

The gang of smirking men came closer and closer, this would be her only chance to die, if she didn't hurry, she would be in that hell once again. By that time, even death would be a dream too hard to realize!

She made up her mind, and using the most of her remaining strength, she dashed towards the wall at the end of the alley. Her eyes shut, hearing only the bellowing of wind and the frantic shouts of the men behind. Run, like she really obtained freedom at long last, anyway it would end anytime now, just like her own life.

.

"Smack!" It hurt, and she stopped. She had knocked into something, and it was definitely not a wall. A wall wouldn't be so soft, a wall would not make sounds like "Ouch", and a wall would definitely not offer his hand to help her off the ground and stabilize. She had knocked into a person, a man strong enough to withstand the impact of her collision and not fall. Despair once again fell over her, "so at last, I don't even have the right to determine my own death?"

As she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was those pair of eyes, hidden under the short jet black hair. The man had the appearance of a rounin, the soul of a samurai, ah, yes; she could see the spirit of a samurai in those sharp looking eyes.

"Hey, don't you look where you're going? That hurt." It was a gentle chiding tone. After that the tone immediately changed to one with shock, "Ah, you... what happened... why is there so much blood... where did those injuries come from?"

"... Please! Save me! Save me!" Hot tears streamed down as she opened her mouth to shout. She did not know why she was saying this to a stranger, but, it was still her only chance of survival. "I beg you! I can repay you in anyway, please I beg you to save me!" What she said after that she did not know, as her desperate pleas all turned into bawling, as if releasing the pain of all the sufferings, fear and sorrow she had suppressed for so long. The world turned black, and she lost her consciousness.

.

"Ahh, that gave me a fright! What a scary girl! Thank goodness she didn't die." After having witnessed the scene, one of the men in the crowd exclaimed.

"Yeah, or we'd be in trouble with boss, after he spent so much money buying her!"

"Hey! You over there, hand that girl over right now! Or else we'd beat you up along with her!"

The crowd began to shout out once again.

The man did not speak up, but bent down and laid the fainted girl gently on the ground.

.

"Sigh, this is troublesome, why does this have to happen when I have a rare break... Why do I never get to have a good rest on my holidays...? It so late, I was just about to return..." The man muttered the complaints to himself.

All of a sudden, there was a frightened shout in the crowd. "Ah! Is... Isn't that the demon vice captain of the Shinsengumi? Hijikata Toushiro!" The crowd started to panic. "Wha-, what now, we definitely cannot beat that guy!" "What bad luck, to meet him here!"

"What are you guys afraid of?" The leader bellowed. He then stepped forward and said to the man "Vice-captain Hijikata, this is girl is a prostitute belonging to the XXX store, which I'm sure you have heard of since it is the most famous in Kabuki-cho. This is a legalized business. Also, it is her fault for misbehaving and escaping, we're just bringing her back. This is our own problem, and it does not intrude Edo's laws, so I don't suppose the Shinsengumi has any reason to probe into this matter?" "Yeah yeah, we're not intruding the law! The Shinsengumi can't have a part in this!" "Hand over the girl!" The rest of the gang regained their courage, and shouted out after their leader.

"Oi, you guys! If you want her come and get her back then. I don't want to get myself involved in such a troublesome matter..."

Hijikata left the girl lying on the ground and walked straight towards the crowd. The men heaved a sigh of relief and made their way towards her.

"However, if you wish to bring her back... you have to first get past me." The footsteps did not stop, but the katana had already been drawn. Within a few moves the crowd collapsed onto the ground.

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"Who ever said I was doing this in the name of Shinsengumi? I'm doing this as a samurai, purely just because I can't stand seeing a bunch of guys bullying a helpless girl."

Slotting his katana back in place, he said, "Oh, one more thing, please inform your boss that while it is legal to start a business, selling and buying of people is another thing. Although I came from that other lane only to be knocked into, I clearly heard all that you said about 'spending a lot of money to buy' the girl."

-Speechless crowd-

.

"Forget it; I'm on leave today anyway. Just don't ever come after this girl again, stop all illegal trafficking activities, and I'll leave it like this. But if I ever find any trouble coming from you guys again, it won't be like this time round! Heard me? Scram."

The men, scared to their wits end picked themselves up and made a run for it, and soon disappeared into the night. He yawned as he made his way back to the barracks, thinking that for his next holiday he should just stay in his room and not go anywhere. There was nothing good for him every time he went out; first that annoying natural perm, and now this girl. Speaking of that girl, she was quite a distance from him now.

.

"This is so troublesome..."

He lit up a cigarette, frowned, and went back down the path he had just come from.

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><p><strong>This is my first submission on this website, so I hope I did things correctly XD<strong>

**As I said at the top, Gintama is not mine (its our dear Gorilla's), neither is this story. It was originally written by a person named ****架子****on baidu, and translated by me. Because I like it and I wanna share it with more people! I have tried to find her to a****sk for permission, but I couldn't find her... I'll keep trying, but in the meantime, I'll put these translations up :D**

**Also, I wanna thank my two awesome friends/beta reviewers, Phoenixszar (for coming up with the title too ) and Kupo Stiltzkin 3**

**Even though it isn't my story, I'd still love to know what you guys think of it, so please review!**


	2. Origin

Chapter 2- Origin

.

"You've lost so much blood, leaving you here wouldn't be suitable... you may die..."

"Speaking of which, how did you get into this state... never mind, you can't hear me anyway, I'll just bring you there first... Ah, why do I still have to see that dead fish eyed, natural perm idiot at this hour..."

Hijikata lifted the bloodied girl onto his back, "In this situation, I supposed it's still better to find that guy. I can't bring her back, nor can I leave her here to die. Those guys may even come back." Reasoning to himself, he walked towards the Yorozuya.

The girl on his back had not woken up yet, but was drowsily mumbling a sentence over and over again. Only after a long time could Hijikata figure out what she was saying.

"Please... don't... sell me away..."

He felt a twist in his heart, and unconsciously frowned.

.

After knocking for the hundredth time, there was still no movement in the house. Damn,where was he at this hour? Could he have taken yet another troublesome job and wouldn't be back for days?

"Che, at this kind of time..."

The girl on his back felt warm, it didn't take a genius to figure out that she was having a high fever.

What was that itch at his neck?

He turned and looked, only to realize that blood was seeping from the girl's wounds, onto his neck and down his back and chest.

He couldn't delay anymore.

At this hour the others in the barracks should've been sleeping long ago. It shouldn't be a problem if he carried her back. If he wasn't wrong, it was Yamazaki's turn to patrol today, he just had to ensure that guy's mouth was shut and things would be fine. In the barracks, he and Kondo-san had individual rooms, so he could let her rest in his for the night. He'd find out more information tomorrow morning and decide what to do then.

Thinking so, he carried the girl back to the Shinsengumi barracks.

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"Fuku-cho you're back! It's already so late!"

"Eh? Who's this?"

"Shh, be quiet, don't wake anyone up. This child is severely injured and saved by me. She doesn't have a place to go, so I could only bring her back. Anyway help me bring her into the room."

"Hai, Fuku-cho"

"Baka, I said to be softer, do you want the entire Shinsengumi to know that their vice captain just violated the rules by bringing a girl back?"

After they cleaned her wounds and bandaged them up, the girl lay asleep in the futon, looking in much better condition than she did a while back.

"Her wounds are terrible, fuku-cho. How did you find her?"

"When I saw her she was being chased to a dead end by a bunch of guys, seems like I blocked her attempt to commit suicide by banging into the wall. From what they said I guess she was sold to be a prostitute, but didn't she want to be one so instead she ran away. The wounds... probably from punishments for disobeying..."

"Ah, what a poor thing, she's such a beautiful girl."

"Beautiful? Her? Don't just think about such useless stuff. Alright there's nothing else to be done, you go on with your patrol, and I'll just sleep in the cupboard tonight. Don't tell anyone about this girl. If the Yorozuya guy comes tomorrow I'll hand her over to them. It's simply too inconvenient for her to be here."

"Hai, Fuku-cho"

.

When Hijikata Toushiro woke up the following day he found himself a little disoriented.

Eh? Why is it so small and tight in here?

Eh? Why am I sleeping in the closet?

When he recollected yesterday night's events and quickly pulled open the doors of the cupboard, he saw the girl awake, clutching the blanket and crouching in a corner of the room. She was frightened by his sudden appearance, and squirmed inwards as much as she could, her eyes wide with fear.

.

"Oi, don't be so scared. It's all okay now."

"Have you forgotten? You almost killed me with that collision yesterday, and begged me to save you. Relax; those men won't come after you again."

"I... remember... thank...you..." The girl's voice was so soft it she was almost inaudible.

"I am Hijikata Toushiro, Vice-Captain of the Shinsengumi. Tell me now who you are, why those people were after you and where you live. I'll send you back later."

"No...Home...I...also can't...remember my name...Can't remember anything...Only know that...I...just returned to Earth...illegally...and was caught...and sold..."

The girl struggled hard to control her emotions, and told all she could to Hijikata in a stable voice, without dropping a single tear.

"What a strong girl she is..." Hijikata thought. Suddenly he realized that the girl's injuries had miraculously recovered by half!

"Wha-, what kind of healing speed is this! This isn't something humans can do... and this snow white skin? Wait, wasn't this like that brat from Yorozuya? Could she... could she be... Yato?" Hijikata started to feel even more confused. However, sounds from the outside signaled that the Shinsengumi members were mostly up and about, and he didn't have time to think through anymore.

.

"Yesterday was because of an emergency, and you had nowhere to go, but you cannot be seen by anyone here. I have to go to work now. Could you put up with staying in the closet in the meantime? You can just rest in there, and you need it. I'll ask about you condition when I have time, okay?"

She nodded her head, crawled into the cupboard and pulled it shut.

Hijikata gave a sigh of relieve, and left the room with a head full of questions.

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><p>.<p>

**I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! :D**

**From now onwards, I'll be updating this story on every Sunday. However, some chapters are long, so they may be cut into 2 parts (one part per wk).**

**Do leave a review. Why? Because it'll make me happy XD**


	3. Background

Chapter 3- Background

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The air felt stiff, and the atmosphere in the room was overbearing.

The two people in the room were silent.

Hijikata sighed, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Yamazaki, are you sure of what you're saying?"

"Hai, Fuku-cho"

"... About that incident, it is treated as a sealed secret and forbidden to be mentioned even in the high levels of the Bakufu. And amongst the Shinsengumi only Kondo-san and I am supposed to know of it, and even so we only just know the littlest of details. How would you know about the incident, and how would you confirm it?"

"Fuku-cho, about that incident 6 years ago, how much do you know about it?"

"You mean about that incident? Most accurately, it would be said as a trade I guess" Hijikata's face darkened.

"Hai, Fuku-cho. That year, in order to maintain good relationships with the Amanto, the Bakufu joined their forces with the Amanto to eradicate the Jouishishi. Also, they even captured their own citizens in that shameless trade off."

"I'd much rather think of that as a rumor... Yamazaki, you're saying... This girl, she was one of those Jouishishi captured by the Bakufu and given to the Amanto?"

"I'm afraid so, Fuku-cho."

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><p>.<p>

Hmm short chapter hahaha. Please review! ^_^


	4. Finally, a place to call home

Chapter 4- Finally, a place to call home

It was late at night by the time Hijikata returned.

Afraid that he could not face the girl, he had decided to spend some time to compose himself first before returning.

After sitting for so long, he still couldn't tell if he was calm or if he was even more confused. His efforts futile, Hijikata dragged his numb legs and walked back into his quarters.

When he lit up the light he was surprised to see that the girl was once again crouching in a corner of the room, curled into a ball, breathing lightly. Hijikata walked up towards her and sat down. She remained asleep, her long eyebrows bobbing up and down, most likely having a dream.

Hijikata thought, Yamazaki was right. This child was an astonishingly beautiful amanto.

Kaguya Hime, they called her. During the late years of the war, many exceptional young leaders emerged, with the noble prince Katsura Kotaro and the black shura Takasugi Shinsuke as one of the most well-known. There were, however, two other legends that spread amongst the people. Shiroyasha, a demonic warrior that struck fear in the hearts of both enemies and allies alike, and Kaguya Hime, a fearsome female warrior with beauty unmatched with any other. It was also said that she had a symbol of the moon on her body. However, no one knew their real names, and some even doubted their existence.

No matter how hard he tried, he found himself unable to picture that weak girl sound asleep before his eyes as the grand heroine commanding and leading soldiers to ambush and liquidate thousands of enemies. But as he stared at the pinkish mark in the shape of a crescent on the snow white skin beneath her neck, it silently pounded and hammered in the fact that she was the war legend, Kaguya Hime.

Unknown to himself, he sighed softly. Yet a sigh so light could not escape the detection of the girl, who had honed her sensitivity through years of living in fear and torture.

There was sudden shock; then instinctive fear, only to calm down after recognizing Hijikata's face. She then flashed him a smile so faint it was almost unable to tell.

"You're back sir?"

"Why are you sleeping here?"

"I was waiting for you"

"For me? What for?" Hijikata was a little puzzled by what he heard.

"For you to tell me what you have found out about my past...and...How you would give me my punishment." The girl's voice sounded surprisingly peaceful and determined.

Hijikata could only stare at her in shock.

"Yamazaki-san told me about it yesterday, that he would use one day to find out about my past. But when he came to deliver lunch today he appeared visibly uncomfortable, and avoided looking at me directly in the eyes. So I figured that he must have found out something about my past, and that something is making both you and him feel troubled. Am I right, Hijikata-san?"

What kind of level of intelligence is this!

As Hijikata was still trying to recollect himself, the girl continued to peacefully,

"I don't want to know that thing that is bringing you so much trouble. I only want to say, you saved my life, gave me a warm place and good food. I never want to go to another place and suffer again; I'd rather die than to be handed over to someone else. My life is yours, and I have no longing over it. I only hope that you..."

As she said those words, she revealed a dagger she had been hiding all along, and pressed it against her throat. She took hold of Hijikata's hand, and wrapped it firmly onto the hilt, making sure that he held the dagger before slowly letting go. She shut her eyes.

"I only hope that you... be more gentle with me. Please kill me in the least painful way..."

Hijikata froze on the spot, and remained in that position, holding the dagger to the girl's throat.

She had seen through all his worries, and not wanting to trouble him, made her own decision. Wasn't this good?

Suddenly, Hijikata reached out his left hand to grab onto the girl's long silky hair, and lifted the dagger high up in the air.

Rise of hand. Fall of sword.

After a moment, the girl opened her eyes nervously, only to see Hijikata back facing her, and the floor full of her own beautiful hair.

"From today onwards, your name is Takeshi Gakuto. You're an orphan who came from the countryside to make a living here in Edo."

"From now on, you shall abandon your past, discard your identity as a woman, discard all embarrassment and weakness as a woman and live with men without being discovered."

"From today on, I will train you in basic sword combat skills. You... shall become one of Shinsengumi's members... and live on."

"I do not want your life because that is a meaningless thing to me. Neither do I wish for you to live in a place where you're not under my protection. Because I cannot trust that a person willing to use her life to repay someone would really be able to take good care of her own self. Hence I have to keep you here, by my side, to see you eat and sleep, to live on well."

Hijikata's voice became cold, and his back was turned so that she could not see his expression.

"Can you do this?"

Tears of gratefulness shimmered in the girl's eyes; she sat up, kneeled on the floor, and looked down with the determination of a samurai.

"Yes... I... cannot thank you enough."

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><p>To all readers of this story, I sincerely apologize for my abandonment of the story (yeah like after 3 chapters T_T) After much time I have decided to come back and continue it! For my second time, I'll try my very best to not give up so easily anymore, so please continue supporting me and the story ^^ Review~<p> 


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